 |
© Salomé/Survival |
The Indian government has set up a new committee to decide the future of the Jarawa
tribe of the Andaman Islands. The Jarawa, who have only had contact
with Indian settlers on their islands since 1998, are increasingly
under threat from poachers invading their land.
The Indian newspaper The Hindu reports, The sub-group will review the
existing administrative practices and institutional arrangements for
protecting the Jarawas…. The eight-member sub-group will also examine
the feasibility of augmenting the sea transport as an alternative to
the Andaman Trunk Road.'
The Indian supreme court ordered in 2002 that the Andaman Trunk Road
must be closed. But the local authorities have left the road open in
violation of the court order. The road cuts through the Jarawa's
forest, bringing the tribe into daily contact with settlers.
Poachers regularly enter the Jarawa reserve from the coast and from the
road, and hunt the animals on which the Jarawa depend. They give the
Jarawa alcohol, tobacco and food in return for work. They also risk
introducing diseases to which the Jarawa have no immunity.
Over a year ago, the authorities announced a policy on the Jarawa which
recognised the need to protect the Jarawa's land and prevent poaching.
But little has been done to tackle the problem.
